West Ham v Chelsea Premier League analysis: David Moyes's bravery the key
A freakish goal from Arthur Masuaku was a fitting end to the wild, frantic action that unfolded at the London Stadium in the final 20 minutes of West Ham's 3-2 victory over Chelsea – and for that chaos we have a surprisingly attack-minded David Moyes to thank.
He was rewarded on Saturday lunchtime for his bravery.
When Kurt Zouma could not continue in the 71st minute Moyes had various defensive options he could have brought onto the pitch to help consolidate the 2-2 draw in a match that, for the second half at least, saw West Ham's deep-lying defence look comfortable.
But instead he brought on Pablo Fornals and put him in a two-man midfield with Tomas Soucek, moving Declan Rice into defence and ensuring there were four attacking players on the pitch – plus the aggressive Masuaku.
To do so was particularly daring because of the tactical battle that had developed earlier in the game, when West Ham's weakness in midfield – even with Rice holding the fort – had threatened to give Chelsea the three points.
Rewind to the first hour of this game – before Masuaku's late goals, before a flurry of substitutions from the two managers, and before Romelu Lukaku's continued problems in front of goal – and what defined the shape of the contest was how Chelsea and West Ham battled in the half-spaces.
Chelsea’s right side the key battle
The hosts started in a 5-3-2 with Manuel Lanzini in midfield, but after initial success in the system Lanzini decided to drift out of his position, roaming up to play as a number ten.
It was a costly error that allowed Chelsea to start building attacks through Reece James in that right-centre space where Lanzini should have been, and once Thomas Tuchel noticed the chink in the armour he moved Mason Mount out to join James in exploiting the open patches of grass.
It was a James drive that led to the corner for Chelsea's opener and a brilliant piece of skill from Mount, popping up on the right as a consequence of West Ham's tactical struggles, for the second.
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From the ridiculous (Mendy😳) to the sublime (Mount 🤯), that first half has seen it all.
Besides the error, Chelsea have looked comfortable at the back... #WHUCHE
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At half-time and with Chelsea on top it looked as though this Lanzini-Mount tactical nugget would be the defining feature.
But Moyes had spotted the problem and in the second 45 he brought on Masuaku to push up and close down that space (something Ben Johnson was too timid to do) and told Lanzini to get back into a flat midfield three.
From this point on Chelsea just couldn't find any rhythm as West Ham shut down the half-spaces as originally intended.
There was some luck in their two second-half goals, the first a classic long-punt-and-second-ball West Ham strike and the second a cross that deflected wickedly into the net, and yet you cannot begrudge Moyes's team.
He got the tactical setup correct at the beginning, then tweaked things when Chelsea started to dominate the right half-space, and then – from this position of strength, feeling bold with the score at 2-2 – he took an attacking risk that paid off handsomely.
Scrappy Newcastle win might not count for much
The three points is all that matters, apparently, but the manner of Newcastle United's 1-0 victory over Burnley isn't necessarily cause for optimism.
The hosts were generally on top of the game and deserved their win, the xG score of 1.70 – 0.64 accurately passing the eye test of an often-nervy contest at St. James Park.
And yet, a goalkeeping error handing a 1-0 win is hardly a springboard for future success, not in a team with this many flaws.
Eddie Howe continued with a 4-4-1-1 and once again it looked too light in central midfield, the partnership of Joe Willock and Jonjo Shelvey lacking the defensive guile to win the second balls that dropped around the Burnley strikers.
It is mildly alarming that he stuck to the same system that was used in the 1-1 draw with Norwich.
Howe must change set-up
This tactical setup contributed to Burnley's early pressure, which could easily have seen them score the opener before Nick Pope's mistake.
Even after Newcastle took the lead they struggled to settle, Matej Vydra missing a huge chance before the break to pull level; on another day this match would have swung against Newcastle.
On the plus side, the faith Howe has shown in Joelinton is proving fruitful after another hard-working display from the Brazilian, and it is already clear that Callum Wilson will benefit from being reunited with his manager at Bournemouth.
There were positives here, no doubt, and the relief at the final whistle was palpable. But in the cold light of day, Howe and his team will be left wondering if they really showed enough on Saturday afternoon to suggest they can avoid the drop.
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